Corsair Dominator 2x2GB PC8500 DDR2

[Fungus]

Thanks for excellent info! I have these stick too, now I'm off to play with them =]

[By0T0xN]

I'm having some issues with this ram running on my MAximus Formula. It will cause DET RAM hangs and sometimes it will post and load windows but as soon as it gets to desktop she locks up.
I checked to see if the voltages and timings are all correct and all was good. I ran memtest and the sticks passed. Can somebody give me some advice as to what I possibly might be missing? Spec are in my sig for the system if there is any other questions let-r-fly. Thanx

[18 is # 1]

I'm having some issues with this ram running on my MAximus Formula. It will cause DET RAM hangs and sometimes it will post and load windows but as soon as it gets to desktop she locks up.
I checked to see if the voltages and timings are all correct and all was good. I ran memtest and the sticks passed. Can somebody give me some advice as to what I possibly might be missing? Spec are in my sig for the system if there is any other questions let-r-fly. Thanx

Tell us you timings (subtimings as well).

[Raffaele2521]

Hello, I apologize in advance for my English ... but I do not know English well and feel using the google translator. (they are Italian)

in our forum nobody uses the ram as my and I saw that you are very good ....

I have a problem with my memories ram Corsair Dominator PC2-8500 CL5 1066mhz 2x2GB version 2.1 v 1.1 .... my motherboard is an Asus p5q pro (bios 1406), a processor q6600.
I would like to know how to set the bios to try to make them go back often, at least 1120mhz. How should I set the timing and voltage? how to set pl and transaction booster?

as I understand it as the first test page, I have to lower the voltage to go back often these ram? true?

Thank you very much

Raffaele

[geok1ng]

WOW! 6 pages of the this memory and i havent found a single post operating at tRD 5. It has been proved time and again that DDR2 plataforms from Intel work better at lower tRDs, and an excellent explanation and examples can be found here:
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3208&p=9

Look at the numbers!:
We realized our best performance by pushing the MCH well beyond its specified range of operation. Not only were we able overclock the controller to 450MHz FSB but we also managed to maintain a tRD of 5 (for a TRD of about 11.1ns) at this exceptional bus speed. Using the 3:2 divider and loosening the primary memory timings to 5-5-5-12 allowed us to capture some of the best DDR2 memory bandwidth benchmarks attainable on an Intel platform

At everest, using a QX9650 at 9x450Mhz-memory read 10923 - memory write 9546 memory latency 45.5ns...thats a class ahead of the results posted here. Certainly tRd of 5 is a MUST for any memory tinker when working a DDR2 plataform- forget about raw speed- the benefits are more than destroyed by the looser tRD used-tRD of 6 or higher are meant for DDR3!

My first couple of corsair 2x2gb 8500 C5D had a problem and i am waiting an RMA, but my plan is to put the E8600 + P5Q deluxe combo at 10x450 3:2 divider and aim for tRD 5 CAS 5 operation...but i would rather lower the raw memory speed with the 5:4 or 1:1 divider than loose the tRD to 6...lets wait and see if these 2x2gb kits can operate well at tRD 5.

[zlojack]

450MHz FSB on the 3:2 divider is DDR 1350. If you can hit that with 2x2GB 1066MHz sticks, I'll take my hat off to you.

What volts were you running on the NB to get tRD of 5 on the 450MHz FSB?

What other settings did you use?

[Archmage]

Have you actually seen tRD of 5 working at 450 fsb?

I can't get that to work at all on my x38 chipset p5e flashed to Rampage Formula.

I thus use a tRD of 7 with pull-in enabled on the first channel. My OC is limited by RAM and x9 multiplier of the e8400, but that's fine. I get 10K everest scores still, however above 50ns latency.

My friend's p45 p5q-E can only manage tRD of 8 with 7 pull-in on the first channel (at 450 fsb)

I'm not sure how the anandtech guys did it...

[geok1ng]

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3208&p=9
Moving on to the analysis at 450Mhz FSB, although we are able to show impressive memory read speeds at this same bus frequency using a 3:2 divider for DDR2-1350 CAS 5 at a tRD of 5, this configuration was far from stable on stock cooling alone - as was the memory speed. Most likely, the need to loosen tRD to 6 will be inevitable at this bus speed. Right from the start, we can see that TRD takes a hit as our minimum values thus far came at the lower 400Mhz FSB. What's more, possible memory configurations at this FSB do not seem to offer any real improvement over those at 400MHz. The first option worth considering, DDR2-900 at CAS 4, can be a little slow, especially considering that a tRD of 6 is not allowed. The DDR2-1200 choice will provide (at best) only miniscule gains over the same memory speed at 400MHz FSB because of the additional throughput efficiency made possible by the higher bus speed. Then again, the increase in TRD to 13.3ns, up from the minimum value of 12.5ns at 400MHz FSB, may completely negate any chance of a performance gain. Our last contender, DDR2-1080 at CAS 4, might be another neutral choice - on one hand there could be a small gain in performance over DDR2-1000 (CAS 4) seen at 400MHz FSB, but again the higher TRD may be this configuration's undoing.

In the end we decided to run our Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 at a final FSB of 400MHz with a multiplier of 10.0x at an even 4GHz. Our 4x1GB of OCZ DDR2 PC2-8000 Platinum Extreme Edition memory was set to run at DDR2-1000 (5:4) CAS 4 with a tRD of 5. Ultimately, the ASUS Rampage Formula provided us the ability to build a well-tuned system. Without question, ASUS' addition of BIOS options for direct tRD manipulation was instrumental to our successful overclock. When paired with top-end GPUs from either ATI or NVIDIA, our rig becomes a formidable gaming platform for enjoying today's titles and beyond.

i recommend people to read the whole article in order to better understand the benefits of using a tRD of 5 when overcloking DDR2 plataforms- there had been numerous reports that other chipsets do NOT obey the Anandtech's formula for allowed tRDs: so 1:1 operation at tRD 5 with speeds of 400Mhz FSB is a goal.

Moving to tRD of 6 AT suggests When viewed together the task of picking out a couple of the best choices becomes rather simple. A+ ratings, of course, go to the two configurations colored in light green (5:4 for DDR2-1000 CAS4 and 3:2 for DDR2-1200 CAS 5). You may be surprised, as we mentioned earlier, that they both use a humble 400MHz bus speed. If forced to choose another option, close second place awards might go to 450Mhz FSB - 1:1 and DDR2-900 CAS 4, or 4:3 DDR2-1200 CAS 5 (assuming your motherboard is capable of stable operation with the sometimes poorly implemented 4:3 divider). Just do not forget - whatever memory option you choose, be sure to remember the importance of tRD.



So a quick pathway for memory tweaking is:find stable voltages operations FSB 400 1:1 divider tRD of 5> increased FSB until tRD of 5 is no longer possible/stable> record results at this setting> move to tRd 6 CAS 5 and try 1:1/6:5/5:4 and 4/3 operation-whichever is best will keep the same FSB step increasing until the CPU is running closer/at the 24/7 frequency goal.

[Sparda]

i recommend people to read the whole article in order to better understand the benefits of using a tRD of 5 when overcloking DDR2 plataforms- there had been numerous reports that other chipsets do NOT obey the Anandtech's formula for allowed tRDs: so 1:1 operation at tRD 5 with speeds of 400Mhz FSB is a goal.

So a quick pathway for memory tweaking is:find stable voltages operations FSB 400 1:1 divider tRD of 5> increased FSB until tRD of 5 is no longer possible/stable> record results at this setting> move to tRd 6 CAS 5 and try 1:1/6:5/5:4 and 4/3 operation-whichever is best will keep the same FSB step increasing until the CPU is running closer/at the 24/7 frequency goal.

Unfortunately not many interested to run at 400 FSB with tRD 5 because thus resulting in lower CPU frequency.
Not many here have a rare ES sample CPU or a premium QX CPU with unlock multiplier that allow higher multiplier with low FSB resulting in higher clock thus also allow lower tRD.
Therefore people using a higher FSB with appropriate multiplier thus resulting in higher clock with a slightly higher tRD with pulling in some phases to compensate.

[Vienna]

Unfortunately not many interested to run at 400 FSB with tRD 5 because thus resulting in lower CPU frequency.
Not many here have a rare ES sample CPU or a premium QX CPU with unlock multiplier that allow higher multiplier with low FSB resulting in higher clock thus also allow lower tRD.
Therefore people using a higher FSB with appropriate multiplier thus resulting in higher clock with a slightly higher tRD with pulling in some phases to compensate.

not always, I`m stuck at 3.6ghz no matter what I do with my q6600 b3, so 400fsb is more then plenty for me

[Senator]

I've been reading the Anatech Article as well as this thread with great interest! It has really help to get more performance out of my hardware!
I am a learner Overclocker & doubt that I have yet fully understund all the setting of this board & how to push out more performance..

Thats to mikeyakame, I have used his settings succesfully for my setup, BIOS 0308, as follows:

Ai Overclock Tuner : Manual
OC From CPU Level Up : AUTO
CPU Ratio Control : Manual
- Ratio CMOS Setting : 8
FSB Frequency : 450
FSB Strap to North Bridge : 333
PCI-E Frequency: 115
DRAM Frequency: DDR2-1081
DRAM Command Rate : 2N
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel A: Normal
DRAM CLK Skew on Channel B: Normal
DRAM Timing Control: Manual
CAS# Latency : 5
RAS# to CAS# Delay : 5
RAS# Precharge : 5
RAS# ActivateTime : 15
RAS# to RAS# Delay : 3
Row Refresh Cycle Time : 60
Write Recovery Time : 6
Read to Precharge Time : 3
Read to Write Delay (S/D) : 8
Write to Read Delay (S) : 3
Write to Read Delay (D) : 5
Read to Read Delay (S) : 4
Read to Read Delay (D) : 6
Write to Write Delay (S) : 4
Write to Write Delay (D) : 6

Write to PRE Delay : 14
Read to PRE Delay : 5
PRE to PRE Delay : 1
ALL PRE to ACT Delay : 6
ALL PRE to REF Delay : 6

DRAM Static Read Control: Disabled
Ai Clock Twister : Strong
Transaction Booster : Manual

Common Performance Level [7]

Pull-In of CHA PH1 Enabled
Pull-In of CHA PH2 Disabled
Pull-In of CHA PH3 Disabled
Pull-In of CHA PH4 Enabled
Pull-In of CHA PH5 Enabled
Pull-In of CHB PH1 Enabled
Pull-In of CHB PH2 Disabled
Pull-In of CHB PH3 Disabled
Pull-In of CHB PH4 Disabled
Pull-In of CHB PH5 Enabled

CPU Voltage : 1.41875
CPU PLL Voltage : 1.52
North Bridge Voltage : 1.69
DRAM Voltage : 2.08 (I think it's at 2.14 actual)
FSB Termination Voltage : 1.60
South Bridge Voltage : Auto
Loadline Calibration : Enabled
CPU GTL Reference : 0.67X
North Bridge GTL Reference : 0.67X
DDR2 Channel A REF Voltage : Auto
DDR2 Channel B REF Voltage : Auto
DDR2 Controller REF Voltage : Auto
SB 1.5V Voltage : Auto

EVEREST Results:

Read: 9514 MB/s
Copy: 8203 MB/s
Write: 9019 MB/s
Latency: 52.7 ns

zlojack has managed to get a Read Performance of: 10032 MB/s

Is this feaseable for my setup? Would I be better of using the 9x Multi with 400FSB?
Furthermore I am not able to Pull-In CHB PH4, Pull-In of CHA PH2, Pull-In of CHA PH3, Pull-In of CHB PH2 or Pull-In of CHB PH3. Resulting in a hang at DET RAM during boot.

any suggestions for tightening there or for squeezing out even more performance? I do realize I'll have to try and test myself, but suggestions are more than welcome!

[Archmage]

You sure you need 1.60v FSB termination voltage? That's high... Anandtech killed their qx9650 this way.

have you tried above 450 FSB with those settings? Maybe if you disable pull-in on some of those channels you'll be able to hit closer to 460 FSB. At around 470 FSB you start nearing 10k mb/s. If you can get 475FSB at tRD = 7, then you'll likely hit 10k.

I need to re-tweak my setup and flash to 0308 bios (running 0403 still).

Somehow after re-assembling my rig this last time I can no longer get it stable above 440 FSB at my same old settings I haven't looked into it thoroughly yet, but I was hitting 460+ before this, and my northbridge, RAM, and CPU temps have decreased since... strange

Edit: Wow... 1.69v northbridge is also very high. I've run mine at 1.63v , but for 450FSB, I was running 1.59v. Now at 1.48v because I'm at 440 FSB...drat

[bladebel]

anyone have these (Corsair Dominator TWIN2X8500C5DF 4096MB) in combination with an abit quadGT AB9 that can share there optimal bios-settings? They will be arriving somewhere tomorrow :-)

[2good4you]

Which is best of those? The 2x2GB kit PC8500 Dominator or the Ballistix Tracer RED PC6400 for high frequency @ CL5? Both seems to show good results... Maybe both these RAM's using the same IC's?

[Yellowbeard]

Which is best of those? The 2x2GB kit PC8500 Dominator or the Ballistix Tracer RED PC6400 for high frequency @ CL5? Both seems to show good results... Maybe both these RAM's using the same IC's?

You do realize that I work for Corsair and that this is also the Corsair support area....right? While I never say bad things about our competition, there is absolutely no way I'm going to tell you buy another brand.

PC8500 is faster than PC6400 so in this case, the Corsair is faster.

[mac_69]

You do realize that I work for Corsair and that this is also the Corsair support area....right? While I never say bad things about our competition, there is absolutely no way I'm going to tell you buy another brand.

PC8500 is faster than PC6400 so in this case, the Corsair is faster.

Good sense of humour yellowbeard, made me chuckle

[2good4you]

You do realize that I work for Corsair and that this is also the Corsair support area....right? While I never say bad things about our competition, there is absolutely no way I'm going to tell you buy another brand.

PC8500 is faster than PC6400 so in this case, the Corsair is faster.

Well if you do so, you should argue for how your product is better so we buy it. The fact, I was just curious if the Crucial was matching those. I've already aimed for the Corsair PC8500 ram, bit help me instead. It quite hard to find some good OC with 2x2GB setups and wounder if the Corsair is the better of the already two mention RAM. Also the PC-rate don't says anything about the OC potential of the ram

So is the Corsair the better of them two, and sorry of posting in wrong area, but xtreme bandwith area don't seems to be the better place.

[zlojack]

He just said he's not going to tell you which is better. And now that you know he's a rep, if he told you the Corsairs were better, would you be surprised?

I can tell you that my Corsair 2x2 Dominators PC28500 ran at 1147 MHz 5-5-5 no problems

I had 8GB stable at 1133MHz 24/7 perfectly fine.

[18 is # 1]

I don't work for either and will tell you the Dominators are WAY better.

P.S. Be sure to figure RMA shipping cost in with those Crucials!

[neo mike]

I would love to see these sticks run a pl 5 aint happining, thats a good article, but lets face it pl 5 is very hard to pull off, with a decent fsb, your lucky to get 6, more like a 7 is reality.

[Yellowbeard]

The main reason I did not start campaigning for the Corsair is that I always try to avoid pimping or getting into a sales position. That is not really appropriate here IMO and not why we maintain this section.

At Corsair, we have an unmatched IC screening process. In this specific case, I beleive the Corsair to be the superior memory for OCing as it is tested to meet a higher specification than the other memory listed.

If I can answer specific questions about the Corsair memory, I'll be happy to do so.

[Zehnsucht]

this is also the Corsair support area

That is not really appropriate here IMO and not why we maintain this section.

Aren't you confusing this section with the Corsair Support one? This is Xtreme Bandwidth

[Yellowbeard]

Aren't you confusing this section with the Corsair Support one? This is Xtreme Bandwidth

Yes, you are correct and I am confused Most of my posts here are in the Corsair section and I did not look before I posted.

I need more coffee.

The main reason I did not start campaigning for the Corsair is that I always try to avoid pimping or getting into a sales position. That is not really appropriate here IMO and not why we maintain this section.

But, this still applies. It is not really appropriate for me to be a pimp or salesman on forums at all. I try to stick to technical advice about our products so that the user can make an informed decision on their own.

[bigcesar]

hello

i am testing this RAm and very nice

[Don_Dan]

hello

i am testing this RAm and very nice

Nice result!

Are you sure this is the limit of the RAM, looking at your cpu frequency and Vcore, it could also be your CPU being at its limit. Did you test with a lower multi?